Job 38:18 “Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?”
Browsing this week through a stack of filled journals, I paused at an entry I’d written more than two years ago. It described an experience at a weekend retreat and I found myself drawn back into its glory and strangeness. In the spring of 2018, I stood silently on a high plot of land in starry darkness. Below me stretched the rolling fields and forests of rural Kentucky. The world lay soundless and still, as did the small group of people standing with me, waiting.
Then my ears caught a stirring in the landscape. Wild, scattered sounds echoed out of hidden places. As dawn warmed the skies, the punctured hush gave way to a cacophony of calls, hoots, snorts, chirps, and barks erupting from all corners of the valley. I watched as the sun’s rays stretched over the land and illuminated a scene of splendor before me. The sky brightened with streaks of orange and purple cutting across the blue. Stray clouds flickered, then ignited. Rocks, grass, leaves, and branches grew more distinct. As the shadows receded and the earth came alive I continued to stand, motionless, taking it all in. Psalm 19:1-2 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”
This simple experience was breathtaking, the landscape, the sunrise, the animals – inanimate objects and living beasts – all reflecting God’s glory. But the group of human beings standing together and beholding it, unique among all created things, were contemplating God’s glory. There is a vast distinction here and it has everything to do with what it means to bear God’s image. Human beings not only manifest the wonder of God’s design but, alone among all creatures in the universe, are able to marvel at it. Even more, we are designed to turn our thoughts from the creation itself to the Creator himself, from contemplation to worship.
In the uncertainty and discouragement of what’s happening to our society, the self-caused ruin and deliberate effacement of our humanity, I was reminded again of God’s invitation to draw near to him. More than ever, as is my practice, I must step into the autumn air, hike through natural beauty, wait in anticipation for the new day, and thank God for the pleasure of settling into sleep at night. These are simple things, but profound. And they give me perspective that God is in control, he still gives life to this earth, to me, to my family. He is the source of love, joy, peace, hope, and everything that is good. And he constantly displays his glory so that we might catch a glimpse of it and acknowledge him.
During a camping trip in Wisconsin that same year of the retreat, my son-in-law, Joe, said something I’ll never forget after we watched a thick orange sun lower itself into Lake Michigan and disappear in a blaze better than any fireworks show. It occurred to him that what we’d just witnessed has been continuously happening every moment of time since the beginning of the solar system. How is that possible? Because, as the earth rotates on its axis, the sunrise and sunset we experience once per day is actually happening continuously at a different point on the earth every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Such unspeakable beauty from God never stops and has never stopped since the beginning of time. It’s an overwhelming thought.
Father, “the whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy” (Psalm 65:8). Again, with the psalmist I say, “Praise the Lord from the earth … you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children.” (Psalm 148:7,9-12)
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This week: As election day nears, the media is whipping up a frenzy, billboards and yard signs clutter the landscape, and mailboxes choke on daily deliveries of political ads. Don’t get me wrong, when life, truth, and freedom are at stake it matters very much how you vote – and God will hold each of us accountable for our choices, where we put our trust, and who we’re trying to impress. Yet it is all too easy to obsess over news stories, podcasts, polls, and the remarks of candidates – much of the content being noise rather than signal. How to quiet the commotion and withstand the fear? Put down your phone, tablet, and computer. Turn off the TV. Get out into nature and contemplate God’s glory. See how that simple step transforms your perspective on current events. Remember that no matter what happens, God is in control.
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